Rosemarie and I firmly believe in the power of positive planning and bringing your whole self to every circumstance. To that end, we have created the RENEW model and applied it to the Interview Planning process. RENEW uses an appreciative approach and is focused on "Research", "Enjoy", "Navigate", "Execute" and "Win".
By bringing this approach to the interview planning process, candidates are better prepared, focused on their strengths, and bring a plan for not only themselves but for the company they interview with. They are able to execute with the power of leadership and influence, and focus on how to make a Win out of every interview/circumstance/interaction.
How many times have we heard interview candidates talk about negative experiences with interviews? Interviews can create anxiety, fear, and the potential for disappointment. When we take an "appreciative" approach (more on this in a future BLOG post), we look at interviews as an earned opportunity to make a difference - for ourselves and for others. This way the interview is now a refreshing opportunity to soar, learn, and serve. Imagine how your interviewer will respond when the focus is on helping them solve problems in the scope of the interview process. By positively preparing and understanding the organizational challenges, even interviewees can provide benefit to business.
To learn more, visit our BLOG often as we unravel a positive approach to interviewing in future posts.
Questions to Ponder: Am I being a leader in my interview opportunities? Do I proactively highlight how my strengths and skills suit a position, or do I let the interviewer unravel them through seemingly random questions? When anxiety takes over, am I able to learn and serve in the process?
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Spiritual Intelligence 559 Years Ago!
One of the appreciative business practices Janet and I discuss in our presentations is the aspiration toward Spiritual Intelligence. In short, the "Intelligence Spectrum" begins with what is called Multiple Intelligence, a type of intelligence that recognizes that one's knowledge and experience creates skills and leads to competence. Further up the spectrum, we discover the much talked about Emotional Intelligence, a form of intelligence that recognizes and manages the emotions in a situation and leads to success. At the most evolved end of the spectrum is Spiritual Intelligence, the intelligence which drives a person to focus more outside oneself than within and leads to fulfillment.
This morning, I read Marc Cenedella's blog that provides an image of Leonardo Da Vinci's resume. I was surprised to learn that, before he became an artist and inventor, Da Vinci was what was called an "artificer", someone who made bombs. And to get a job, he submitted his resume to the Duke of Milan in a letter.
What is notable about the letter is that it reflects a high degree of Spiritual Intelligence on the part of the young Da Vinci. Instead of touting his accomplishments, of which there were many, he assessed the needs of the Duke and presented his skills in terms of what he could do for the Duke. In other words, he focused more on the Duke and his needs and interest than on himself and his accomplishments -- Spiritual Intelligence!
Questions to ponder: In what ways can I practice Spiritual Intelligence today? When do I catch myself focusing more on myself than on others? What might happen if I deliberately shifted my focus from myself to others?
This morning, I read Marc Cenedella's blog that provides an image of Leonardo Da Vinci's resume. I was surprised to learn that, before he became an artist and inventor, Da Vinci was what was called an "artificer", someone who made bombs. And to get a job, he submitted his resume to the Duke of Milan in a letter.
What is notable about the letter is that it reflects a high degree of Spiritual Intelligence on the part of the young Da Vinci. Instead of touting his accomplishments, of which there were many, he assessed the needs of the Duke and presented his skills in terms of what he could do for the Duke. In other words, he focused more on the Duke and his needs and interest than on himself and his accomplishments -- Spiritual Intelligence!
Questions to ponder: In what ways can I practice Spiritual Intelligence today? When do I catch myself focusing more on myself than on others? What might happen if I deliberately shifted my focus from myself to others?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Who, me?
So often, when something goes wrong, we want to run and point away from ourselves. And when others' fingers point to us, we want to say, "Who, me?" In blame-centered families and business cultures, it is not uncommon to see loved ones or professionals "throwing people under the bus", a term used to describe casting blame for a problem on a person or team, sometimes destroying careers and confidence in the process.
When we function in a culture like this, we live in fear and often join the finger-pointing to protect ourselves. This behavior continues and intensifies the blame culture ... and the dissatisfaction and unhappiness that often attends this culture.
Breaking out of the blame cycle takes strength -- and true leadership. One step is to acknowledge one's strengths and the strengths of others in the family or team, aligning those strengths so that weaknesses are irrelevant. When people are doing what they are truly good at, their confidence level is higher and the fear factor dissipates.
Another step is to readily admit when a mistake has been made and to offer remedial steps -- before anyone else can point a finger. Noting the problem early and accepting responsibility for it sets an example for others, minimizes the need to point fingers, and enables the focus to move to corrective action, which is much more productive and uplifting.
In his article, Self Awareness and the Effective Leader, Chris Musselwhite discusses the importance of being self aware, of recognizing weaknesses and leveraging others to compensate for them, of admitting one's own mistakes and moving on, and getting other people's feedback and impressions of your effectiveness.
Being self aware will liberate us from ever adopting a "Who, me?" attitude and will empower us, and others, to focus on productive pursuits free of fear of failure and blame.
Questions to ponder: When do I find myself running away from blame? What do I do to promote a "blame culture" in my family or work unit? Are there areas of my life that I can accept responsibility for something gone wrong, right now? If I did, what would happen?
When we function in a culture like this, we live in fear and often join the finger-pointing to protect ourselves. This behavior continues and intensifies the blame culture ... and the dissatisfaction and unhappiness that often attends this culture.
Breaking out of the blame cycle takes strength -- and true leadership. One step is to acknowledge one's strengths and the strengths of others in the family or team, aligning those strengths so that weaknesses are irrelevant. When people are doing what they are truly good at, their confidence level is higher and the fear factor dissipates.
Another step is to readily admit when a mistake has been made and to offer remedial steps -- before anyone else can point a finger. Noting the problem early and accepting responsibility for it sets an example for others, minimizes the need to point fingers, and enables the focus to move to corrective action, which is much more productive and uplifting.
In his article, Self Awareness and the Effective Leader, Chris Musselwhite discusses the importance of being self aware, of recognizing weaknesses and leveraging others to compensate for them, of admitting one's own mistakes and moving on, and getting other people's feedback and impressions of your effectiveness.
Being self aware will liberate us from ever adopting a "Who, me?" attitude and will empower us, and others, to focus on productive pursuits free of fear of failure and blame.
Questions to ponder: When do I find myself running away from blame? What do I do to promote a "blame culture" in my family or work unit? Are there areas of my life that I can accept responsibility for something gone wrong, right now? If I did, what would happen?
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Appreciative Practices for Job Seekers
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the CPC Job Connections event for our talk, "Reinventing Ourselves through Job Transition: Creating Positive Change in 2011". Below is a link to the presentation material that we used. In it, you will find more detail on our "Reinvention Top 10 List":
1. We are eagles, not lambs!
2. We must bring our whole selves to all that we do – not just the person who is unemployed
3. Each of us can lead where we are, regardless of title or employment status
4. Every day is a gift, whether or not we are employed
5. Our time between jobs is purpose filled
6. We will not find the right job until we have accomplished or learned what we are supposed to during this time; we are preparing for the next phase of our lives
7. A focus on others will reduce our fear and anxiety – volunteer!
8. Interviewers are people, too, with their own fears and insecurities … which we can alleviate
9. When we get a chance to talk with a hiring manager, we must remember that we earned that conversation
10. We define how much is enough, not the rest of the world
We will write more about Appreciative Business Practices in future blogs. Stay tuned!
Questions to ponder: What are my strengths? How do or can I use them to make a difference in my personal life? In my professional life? In what ways can I bring my "whole self" to my daily interactions?
To access the presentation material,
click here ==> http://www.box.net/shared/y1gp0ouv92
1. We are eagles, not lambs!
2. We must bring our whole selves to all that we do – not just the person who is unemployed
3. Each of us can lead where we are, regardless of title or employment status
4. Every day is a gift, whether or not we are employed
5. Our time between jobs is purpose filled
6. We will not find the right job until we have accomplished or learned what we are supposed to during this time; we are preparing for the next phase of our lives
7. A focus on others will reduce our fear and anxiety – volunteer!
8. Interviewers are people, too, with their own fears and insecurities … which we can alleviate
9. When we get a chance to talk with a hiring manager, we must remember that we earned that conversation
10. We define how much is enough, not the rest of the world
We will write more about Appreciative Business Practices in future blogs. Stay tuned!
Questions to ponder: What are my strengths? How do or can I use them to make a difference in my personal life? In my professional life? In what ways can I bring my "whole self" to my daily interactions?
To access the presentation material,
click here ==> http://www.box.net/shared/y1gp0ouv92
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